This entry was posted 12 years, 5 months ago.
December 27, 2010
You definitely heard a lot about various vitamin supplements: special capsules, tablets or even liquid products which contain one or several (multivitamin supplements) vitamins, minerals or other beneficial nutrients essential for our body. Some of those are nothing else but herbal vitamins derived from organic food sources (soy, corn, alfalfa, yeast, rosehips and so on), and some have artificially synthesized vitamins. Usually, vitamin supplements also contain various substances which facilitate vitamin and mineral absorption in the body.
Many of you can be wondering, will vitamin supplement be helpful to me? First of all, even those people who regularly follow a healthy diet based on consuming plenty of organic fruits, vegetables and other useful products, may not be receiving enough of natural vitamins and minerals. Modern natural foods and products are not that much packed with nutrients and vitamins as before, because in our times, the soils which give life and all nutrients to the plants and herbs are pretty much drained out. Besides, our body is constantly being destroyed by numerous stresses, worries, never ending respiratory problems, the immune system failures, excessive amounts of caffeine, nicotine and unhealthy foods, that is why most of us do really need extra vitamin support. That’s when vitamin supplements can come in handy.
At the same time, specialists do not stop warning us about being careful with using various supplements available in the market. If you are not eating in fast food restaurants three times a day, smoking two packs of cigarettes a day, you usually satisfy your body’s needs in herbal vitamins and there is no necessity in taking vitamin supplements for you. There are other specific situations as well: for example, birth control pills are also enriched with vitamins, so those women who are taking such pills are not in need of vitamin supplements. However, certain vitamin supplements can be recommended to pregnant and nursing women, to the elderly, to those patients who undergo certain treatments or take medications, as well as to those who are on a low-calorie or vegetarian diet.
It is absolutely vital to consult with a specialist prior to popping any sort of vitamin supplements. Only a medical doctor or an experienced nutritionist can determine how much vitamin and mineral support we actually need. Such factors as our individual preferences and habits, current overall health, lifestyle, family history and other are important. Also, it is crucial not to exceed the specified doses of vitamin supplements, because health risks are increasing if you have excessive amounts of certain vitamins or minerals in the body. Finally, it is essential to remember that by taking even the best and the highest quality vitamin supplements, you can not in anyway make up for all your bad habits, lack of activities, inability to manage stresses and so on.
Author Info: Hi! My name is Carla and I am a 5th year medical student at HYMS. I am interested in alternative medicine and I have done months researching the topic of herbal medicine. Besides, I like interviewing people and learning more about their experiences with one or another type of herbal treatments. I am willing to contribute to this site with my knowledge, and I would be happy to help you out to the best of my ability with any specific questions or problems related to alternative medicine.
January 11th, 2011 at 10:52 am
If you are smoking or taking unhealthy foods, then your body definitely needs vitamin supplements
March 27th, 2013 at 8:44 pm
Nice article. Vitamins can play an important part in our health…and beauty 😉 but it’s also just as important to get an opinion from your Dr. to see which vitamins you are lacking so you don’t get too much of one vitamin.